Basketball Champions League Americas
The Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) (Spanish: Baloncesto Liga Campeones de las Américas, Portuguese: Liga dos Campeões de Basquetebol das Américas) is Pan-America's premier men's basketball club competition. Founded in 2019, it replaced the FIBA Americas League as the highest tier league in the continent. The winner of each year's competition qualifies to the annual FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
| Organising body | FIBA Americas |
|---|---|
| Founded | 24 September 2019 |
| First season | 2019–20 |
| Country | Multiple countries |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Promotion to | Intercontinental Cup |
| Current champions | São Paulo (1st title) |
| Most championships | Quimsa Flamengo São Paulo (1 title each) |
| TV partners | YouTube (live games occasionally) |
| Website | BCLAmericas.basketball |
| 2022–23 BCL Americas | |
History
On 24 September 2019, FIBA launched the panamerican competition, which derives its name and branding from the European Basketball Champions League.[1] The competition replaced the FIBA Americas League as premier league in the Americas, President Horacio Muratore stated: "This is not a succession of Liga de las Américas, but rather a new product of our development project that will foster a balance between representation and quality".[2] The competition consisted of twelve teams, which had to qualify through their domestic leagues. The inaugural season started on October 28, 2019. On October 30, 2021, Quimsa won the inaugural championship after winning the final in Montevideo. Canadian clubs Edmonton Stingers and Brampton Honey Badgers are the only North American teams to participate in the competition so far.
Format
As for the competition's format, the first phase of the BCLA will feature four groups of three teams each, with two qualifying teams per group that move on to the Quarter-Finals, which will be a best-of-three series. The Semi-Finals and the Final will also be decided in a best-of-three format.[1]
Results
List of seasons
| Edition | Year | Hosts | Champions | Score and Venue | Runners-up | Third place | Score and Venue | Fourth place | No. of teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019–20 | Montevideo | Quimsa | 92–86[a] Antel Arena, Montevideo | Flamengo | San Lorenzo and Instituto | 12 | ||
| 2 | 2021 | Managua | Flamengo | 84–80 Alexis Arguello Sports Complex, Managua | Real Estelí | Minas | 75–58 Alexis Arguello Sports Complex, Managua | São Paulo | |
| 3 | 2021–22 | Rio de Janeiro | São Paulo | 98–84 Carioca Arena 1, Rio de Janeiro | Biguá | 123 Minas | 91–81 Carioca Arena 1, Rio de Janeiro | Quimsa | |
- ^ The 2020 final originally consisted of a best-of-three series, but it was changed to a single game in a neutral venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Performance by club
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flamengo | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 2020 |
| São Paulo | 1 | — | 2022 | — |
| Quimsa | 1 | — | 2020 | — |
| Real Estelí | — | 1 | — | 2021 |
| Biguá | — | 1 | — | 2022 |
Performance by country
| Country | Titles | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2 | 1 | 2021, 2022 | 2020 |
| Argentina | 1 | — | 2020 | — |
| Nicaragua | — | 1 | — | 2021 |
| Uruguay | — | 1 | — | 2022 |
Performance by head coach
Only one head coach has appeared in multiple finals, as Gustavo de Conti of Flamengo coached in two.
All-time participants
The following is a list of clubs who have played in the Basketball Champions League Americas at any time since its formation in 2019 to the current season.
| 1st | Champions | |||||
| 2nd | Runners-up | |||||
| 3rd | Third place | |||||
| 4th | Fourth place | |||||
| SF | Semifinalists | |||||
| QF | Quarterfinalists | |||||
| RS | Regular season | |||||
| TBD | To be determined | |||||
| Team | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Total seasons | Highest finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Juniors | – | – | QF | – | 1 | Quarterfinals |
| Instituto | SF | RS | – | RS | 3 | Semifinals |
| Obras Sanitarias | – | RS | RS | RS | 3 | Regular season |
| Quimsa | 1st | QF | 4th | • | 4 | Champions |
| San Lorenzo | SF | QF | – | – | 2 | Semifinals |
| Flamengo | 2nd | 1st | QF | • | 4 | Champions |
| Franca | QF | QF | – | • | 3 | Quarterfinals |
| Minas | – | 3rd | 3rd | • | 3 | Third place |
| Mogi das Cruzes | QF | – | – | – | 1 | Quarterfinals |
| São Paulo | – | 4th | 1st | – | 2 | Champions |
| Brampton Honey Badgers | – | – | – | RS | 1 | Regular season |
| Edmonton Stingers | – | – | RS | – | 1 | Regular season |
| CD Valdivia | RS | – | – | – | 1 | Regular season |
| Universidad de Concepción | – | RS | RS | QF | 3 | Quarterfinals |
| Titanes de Barranquilla | – | RS | – | – | 1 | Regular season |
| Capitanes | RS | – | – | – | 1 | Regular season |
| Fuerza Regia | QF | – | – | – | 1 | Quarterfinals |
| Libertadores de Querétaro | – | – | – | QF | 1 | Quarterfinals |
| Real Estelí | QF | 2nd | QF | QF | 4 | Runners-up |
| Caballos de Coclé | – | QF | – | – | 1 | Quarterfinals |
| Cangrejeros de Santurce | – | – | QF | – | 1 | Quarterfinals |
| Aguada | RS | – | – | – | 1 | Regular season |
| Biguá | RS | – | 2nd | RS | 3 | Runners-up |
| Nacional | – | – | RS | – | 1 | Regular season |
| Peñarol | – | – | – | QF | 1 | Quarterfinals |
References
- ^ a b "Basketball Champions League Americas is launched". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ "Basketball Champions League Americas is launched". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
This is not a succession of Liga de las Américas, but rather a new product of our development project that will foster a balance between representation and quality.
- ^ "BCL Americas Final will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
External links
- Official website
- BCL Americas on Twitter